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Wednesday, 28 June 2017

Movie Review: Despicable Me 3 (2017)

I think I owe Illumination Entertainment something of an
apology. For the longest time, I always judged them mainly off of their take on
Dr Seuss’ The Lorax, which still stands as one of the single worst films I’ve
ever sat through in so many ways.
However, that is honestly an outlier of their work: The rest of their films, in
one way or another, have tapped into a sense of nostalgia for the olden days of
animation and translated it quite remarkably for today’s audiences. Whether it’s
the 2-D throwback of The Secret Life Of Pets to the tribute to all things
musical with Sing, Illumination has secured its place in the industry as the
most retro-minded studio working right now. And the crown jewel of their work to date,
the series that put them on the map, is Despicable Me. Or, more specifically,
the Minions that have now taken a life of their own and, whenever a new film
featuring them comes out, you will doubtless see them everywhere. So, in light of the studio’s pedigree and my admitted
sensitivity to overblown marketing, how does this latest installment turn out?
This is Despicable Me 3.

The plot: After an ill-fated run-in with former child actor
turned supervillain Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy
(Kristen Wiig) are fried from the Anti-Villain League. At the same time, Gru is
contacted by his long-lost twin brother Dru (Steve Carell) who wants to get
back into the ‘family business’. Torn between his want to do good and his
desire to return to his days of villainy, Gru nonetheless plans to take down
Bratt before his ultimate plan comes into fruition.

Carell is great as always as Gru, and his new turn as Dru
manages to make him out as Gru’s twin without just copying him beat-for-beat.
Hell, if this ends up getting a sequel (I say as if that isn’t already
guaranteed by this point), their character dynamics could make for some very
entertaining shenanigans if this film is anything to go by. Wiig is still
rather abrasive but she manages to fit nicely within the film’s narrative, and
her added want to become a good mother for the kids leads to some cute scenes.
And speaking of cute, good God, Agnes is aggressively adorable in this thing. I
don’t usually succumb to the forces of “dawww!” but credit to Nev Scharrel for
being this explosive without getting anywhere near annoying in the process.

The Despicable Me films (and Minions) have always been about
one thing above all others: Showing how awesome it is to be the villain.
Thankfully, this latest installment keeps true to that and makes Gru, Dru and
Bratt’s escapades look as enthralling as possible. Illumination’s love for
Looney Tunes throwbacks, with all the slapstick and sight gags that come with
them, leads to some very fun action sequences and just the right touch of
toilet humour to engage without feeling like it’s just appealing to the lowest
common denominator. Then again, given how said toilet humour goes not only in a
rather literal direction but also into a showcasing of wonky-bonkers creativity
thanks to the Minions’ stint in prison (accompanied by some
too-cool-for-the-room music backing from Pharrell), that’s hardly surprising.
Credit is also due for the gadgetry on display here, which varies from more
traditional super-spy gear used by Gru and co. to the more kitschy and
deliciously dated tech used by Bratt. I never thought I’d say this but I could
really go for some bubblegum right now.

And speaking of Bratt, you might have wondered why I didn’t
talk about him in my usual cast rundown. It isn’t because of any kind of bad
performance: It may be surreal to hear Trey Parker of South Park fame in a
kid’s movie, but he pulls off the intentionally-dated villain quite well and
was easily the most entertaining presence in the entire film. No, instead, I
held off on that because what makes him as good as he is is due to more than
just his performance. With nostalgia being as profitable as it is nowadays,
especially 80’s nostalgia, we’re certainly not short of reliving the good ol’
days on film; just look at how many TV shows from the era have or will end up
getting film adaptations. However, very few examples of late have pulled it off
as well as this, far as I’m concerned. Rather than trying to modernize the
kitsch of the time for a newer audience, this film just embraces what made 80’s
kitsch as good as it was. I mean, when your moonwalking-on-water villain
tries to take over Hollywood with a giant robot wielding a
diamond-powered-laser while dousing the town in Blob-like bubblegum, it’s not
exactly being subtle about it. But what’s more, it doesn’t need to: This is the stuff that people fondly
remember from that era; the goofy, the over-the-top, the gloriously cheesy. And
as a final cherry on top, Heitor Pereira’s music selections also bring back
the best of the 80’s with Michael Jackson and Take On Me, along with the best
use of Dire Straits’ Money For Nothing I’ve seen since Kingsman. Hell, it might
actually be better than Kingsman;
looks like the upcoming sequel has something to compete with.

All in all, Illumination once again provides some very funny
and engaging light entertainment. Continuing its Tex Avery-inspired slapstick
approach to bowing at the altar of villainy, this family film manages to do a
better job at tapping into 80’s nostalgia than most if not all other films of
late that have tried it. Through great voice acting, a keen ear for music,
energetic animation and set pieces as well as a breadth of knowledge about what
audiences want to see, both young and old, this is the kind of family film that
I couldn’t be happier to see exist. It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s never boring, and unlike the Minions movie, it never tires
you out from all the energy. Illumination Entertainment continues to be a top
contender in the animated kids film market, and it doesn’t look like they’re
letting up any time soon. It’s better than The LEGO Batman Movie (stop yelling
at me), as the sense of fun and joy here is not only a lot more focused, but it
also taps into something that desperately needs a proper champion at this point;
maybe now, 80’s TV adaptations can stop sucking so hard. However, as
exhilarating as this is, it’s still popcorn fodder at the end of the day,
albeit very well-written and realized popcorn fodder. Meri Pyaari Bindu, on the
other hand, hits a lot harder emotionally and honestly left me even happier
leaving the cinema.